It’s been in DC for a few versions now, we’ve used a combination of: macOS desktop, Android mobile, Linux desktop, iOS Mobile - and haven’t had problems more than usual getting apps access to the cam/mic on macOS.
They just dropped DC 2.57.0, it hit F-Droid and Arch repos in my morning updates. An update to the relay code was also dropped, 1.12.0, for relay operators.
It’s not entirely dystopian (just barely), we have newer messengers like SimpleX and DeltaChat (I/we use Delta) on the up and coming which deliver on all the same e2ee promises as Signal. It’s just network effects as usual, getting people to try is the real hurdle.
What they share in common (mostly) is the architecture - they’re built natively decentralized, utilizing caching relays with no single source of truth, or device of truth, to be used to create a profile of you like a phone number does. Encryption keys owned by the user and no single servers. Generally this is the Nostr design as well, so we have 3 different teams all focusing on the same natively decentralized architecture patterns.
I would assume your system is using systemd (I don’t use Kubuntu specifically); the laptop lid is (now in 2026) controlled by the systemd infrastructure - it’s a matter of setting a config option and this should fix you up. Arch as usual has the best wiki on the subject:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Power_management#ACPI_events
You’re probably looking at HandleLidSwitch* options. There’s still nothing wrong with the manual disable to /proc/acpi/wakeup to cover your bases (layers of the onion), I’m fighting with a “modern” laptop that only has s2idle and it’s terrible compared to S3 - I’m in ACPI wakeup hell and still trying to figure out what’s causing it.
https://www.radio-browser.info/
Shoutcast (Icecast) streams are still going strong if you’re willing to put in some effort uncovering ones for your genres. SomaFM is still going strong, Big Sonic Heaven is online, DecayFM, Voice of Doom, Dark Asylum, even public radio like CHIRP (Chicago) are pumping out streams run by humans playing new music.
Briar fits into it’s own niche (operational design), making it a choice for certain activities but not what I would call your general normie chat app. It makes tradeoffs (using the local network, no caching relays, etc.) to increase security posture at the expense of general use. IIRC, Jack Dorsey’s BitChat was modeled after the same designs? (which is interesting, because Nostr his other pet doesn’t)